Pitfall

Chapter 4

Pitfall

Sarah watched snowflakes decorate the air. Beautiful. Complex. Soft to touch.

Before these very flakes were like soot: damaging to the lungs, and unpleasurable to look at. To the street orphans, they brought death. It was such winter, when she had stolen a loaf of bread from a vendor, only to trip, be caught, and beaten blue for her crime. As she was receiving her punishment, a woman's voice boomed "ENOUGH!". At her very words, the knights stepped forward and the vendor kneeled for mercy. Duchess Eleanor, was often gossiped about. Both men and women would discuss her beauty. She usually wore a veil to cover her face, but all that did was add to her charm. Sarah was noticed by a woman of such stature and even brought to her mansion to work. She never saw the woman again, usually helping in the kitchen, never crossing paths with the members of House Maxwell.

Then one day, with no warning, Ajax Maxwell called for her. Not much was known about Ajax. People knew of him but he was a carefully kept secret of House Maxwell. Rumors of him being too handsome, being a girl, being disabled, or even dying during labor spread amongst the masses. Most of them --- false but one. He indeed was too handsome. Just remembering his face made Sarah's own, redden.

Upon talking he felt mature. Although he didn't wear a veil, he masked his emotions and thoughts with proficiency.

'Cause I need you, Sarah'

Those words struck a chord in the girl --- who had always been pushed around and scorned at. Being needed felt amazing. She was treated as an equal and trusted. Ajax asked for her opinions and attentively listened to her perspective of things. They planned for the future together, discussing the prophecies he received, and how to best tackle them. Though she didn't completely trust him yet, she knew he meant her no harm

Sarah had now spent the past three months training with AJ. Every morning she would wake up and leave for Pitfall at dawn. With Ajax and her master, she would explore it, till the sun went down.

Pitfall was part of the Duchy of Maxwell, and it was a colossal pit. With a diameter of eight thousand meters and a depth never measured, it was riddled with dangers. Many adventurers went in to explore, never to return. Yet, the place had a never-dying allure. 'What's at the bottom?', a question all asked, venturing into it. A romantic place for curious minds, both Sarah and Ajax were warned to traverse only the top two layers. The place had its own ecosystem. The trees hung from cliffs and curved upwards; mist formed --- low, only covering the feet. Every day, they each would hunt fifty monsters of rank D maximum. Collecting the corpses before Ajax absorbed them into a black sphere and orally ingested it. Ajax also absorbed corpses of monsters left unattended, he didn't have to kill them himself to make them a part of his personal army. The lower layers had monsters of higher ranks --- too powerful to handle, and when Sarah asked AJ, 'what was at the bottom?', even he was unaware.

At sunset, they would drag their feet to a large cliff at the bottom of the second layer. Here her master would teach her how best to use the spear. Vigorous and repetitive ---- was how she would describe her training. Hellish --- is how she would describe the training Ajax went through.

'He needs to mold his body and senses to best make use of his innate skills'

That was the excuse Arnold used whenever Ajax vomited blood. When the training ended, and they were back to the residency; AJ would visit his mother, and Sarah practiced her battle art.

But today was different. Instead of going straight to the residency, they walked the cobbled paths of the merchant town built around Pitfall --- Herbst. Shops clustered together. The nearest shop read a sign

'Scrolls. Defensive. Attack. Half the price. Shop NOW!'

Humans, Beast kin, and elves all rush past each other haggling over prices

Sarah heard an elderly elf complain, "two hundred shillings for a jar of serpent scales, tis a scam"

Children her age had their faces pressed against a window, "yer know, that dagger is a C-rank artifact. My papa's saving money to buy it"

"Your papa is a farmer. What does he need it for? Slicing crops?"

The children laughed

Screech! an owl flew over their heads before landing on the shoulder of a latex-wearing woman. The woman looked at her and bit her lips. It was then Sarah realized the seductive bite was for AJ. She jerked to look at him and for the first time ever, she saw his genuine emotions. His head was swimming. His sense of awe and wonder was intoxicating. Like a child seeing the world for the first time, he was truly mesmerized by everything. She was happy to see a new side of him.

Tapping on AJ's shoulder, she giggled, "loved seeing you with your mask down"

AJ blushed and upon seeing his reaction she did too

"let's head to the temple", he shrugged

The Temple of Void was prominent in Herbst. The third most influential religion in the world, just behind The Temple of Life and the newly power-gathering religion, The Temple of Light, popularized by the most powerful human, Duke William.

The temple, built of white marble shined in the sunlight. A holy glow embraced it. The trees that lined the pathway, gave a calming sensation. At its entrance, stood a statue --- a nun holding a sphere made of red rock.

Before entering AJ turned to face Sarah, "We are going a meet a man who has lived for many millennia"

Sarah stood in shock

"His divinity is immortality. A priest who now goes by the name Novak. His real name is Merlin"

They walked into the church. Hundreds of candles floated midair and, in the flickering, candlelight stood a man reading. Young and handsome, long blue hair in a braid. His slender face fixed on the children that had just entered. He immediately wore a welcoming smile

"I'm Father Novak, what may I help you with?", he asked

"Father I've come here today to meet the meet Great Merlin", Ajax bowed deeply, and Sarah followed

The man froze, AJ looked up to meet his eyes. Sarah watched all this with great curiosity

"A unique soul from not this plane of existence", the man replied with a grin

This time AJ was shaken

"Are there others like me?", he asked

Merlin tapped his foot on the ground, a rune formed and they were transported to a mountainous area. Sarah felt the cold dew on the blades of grass under her feet.

She shook in fear upon seeing the runic circle. The Kingdom forbade the use of runic magic

With the flick of the wrists, another runic circle formed, they now sat at a tea table while bunnies in top hats served them biscuits.

"Most of runic language is lost to time and people now rely on their divinities to access power", he said

"Power is a tricky concept. It lies where we believe it does", AJ replied

"Where do you children believe power lies?", asked Merlin, picking up his teacup

Sarah who sat silent felt the gazes on her. Thinking for a few minutes she answered, "within us. We all are born with power. Its distribution is unequal and unfair. The commoners are born with less of it, while the people in high seats enjoy tons of it"

Looking at AJ, she waited for his answer, "It lies swirling in chaos. Somewhere in its deepest parts --- waiting to be accessed"

"That is where the two of you believe it to be", Merlin said, "Power lies Everywhere. Outside and Within Us. Both in Order and Chaos. In the rites of Time --- past, present, and future. Untapped. Pure. Dangerous."

"Girl --- you'll realize how much power your experiences give you. Boy --- you'll learn Order too is worth investing time in. It's the harmony between order and chaos where power lies"

Merlin then sighed, "boy, I don't sense the thread of destiny on you"

AJ raised his brows. He was as confused as Sarah

"The thread of destiny wrapped around the girl is one that brings huge change. A Child of Destiny. One of the few in this era. Everyone in this universe is born with a thread. Boy, you're an anomaly", clicking his tongue he made an observation, "maybe a God knew Destiny and Fate weren't enough"

A few silent seconds later, Merlin finally asked, "What is it that you sought me for?"

"We wished to be taught by you. I would also like to know whether there are others like me", AJ looked at Merlin with trembling hands

With a snap of his fingers, another rune formed mid-air, and a bubble of silence encapsuled AJ and Merlin in it

'He'll tell me if he wishes to', Sarah continued to enjoy the biscuits and pet the bunnies

Inside the barrier, they discussed, "There was a man, a few millennia ago. He came from a place called Japan. Yugi was brought to this world through a forbidden ritual. Performed by the witches, of the now lost kingdom, Zelzei, he was destined to kill Lord Jidar --- The Great Evil"

"He failed", Merlin clenched his fists

"Great Evil? Is it the Demon Lord?"

"No, the Demon Lord is a powerful being but he's no king. He may grow to be as powerful as The Great Evil, but that's a possibility I wish to not waste my time pondering", answered Merlin

"Yugi cut a deal with one he was supposed to kill. Jidar was a master manipulator of space. With his help, Yugi went back to his world. The Great Evil lived" Merlin reminisced, "that was when the Gods decided to bless this world with divinity. People could now tap into mana and its magical properties. Alas! it wasn't enough. The God of Void broke dimensions into worlds about to end. Its inhabitants --- elves, beast kin, vampires, dragons, demons, and all such took refuge in ours. For refuge, they agreed to fight the war against The Great Evil --- but it was too late. He had already transcended to Godhood. Killing and consuming Gods, growing more powerful after each feast, only to be cast out of existence by the Primordial Mind itself"

"Primordial Mind as in the being of Absolute Creation?", asked AJ

"Yes, the One who gave birth to Gods, mortal beings, planets, stars, and concepts such as life and death"

Merlin dissipated the barrier

"I've agreed to teach you", Merlin announced, "Boy"

"Name's Ajax, AJ for short", pointing at Sarah, he introduced her as well

Clapping his hands together, Merlin sighed, "well, AJ, you're nothing special. I'll teach you to use mana efficiently"

"Sarah Darling, you are --- special. One of your immediate parents is a dragon"

Sarah perked up her ears. She was an orphan for as long as she could remember. Her mother being a dragon brought a lot of mystery to her abandonment.

Dragons went extinct 1000 years ago when the demons attacked their kingdom. They were the first species the demons fought --- for if the dragons were still around, their expansion would not have been possible. It was only after the dragons lost their war, that the demonic threat was taken seriously

"A DRAGON?", shouted Sarah, jerking her head around to make sure she heard right

"Yes! A dragon"

AJ wasn't surprised, for she would meet her mother in the novel

Cutting into the conversation, AJ informed, "Master Merlin, we will not be able to train mana or our abilities straight away. We'll be starting next week --- with your grace, of course"

"All right, I'll be here", Merlin tapped his foot and they were suddenly back in the church. Looking at the clock that hung in front, AJ's mouth dropped

"Yeah, 12 hours is a minute in my realm", nonchalantly the new teacher informed

"OWN REALM!!!", shouted the kids

Overwhelmed, they left the church, only to be drawn in by a crowd that had formed at a house nearby. Pushing themselves forward they saw a little girl crying; holding the hand of a woman lying in a pool of blood. The dead woman's face clawed and her eyes gouged out. On the outside of the house, the word 'PRIDE' carved in blood

"It's The Sinners"

"Why kill her? Wasn't she just a model?"

"Being a model is a prideful thing to be, maybe"

"What rank was the killer? Holy shit you think he was an A-rank? So cool"

"Should we join The Sinners? They're powerful. We'll grow stronger too"

Hearing the conversations behind him, AJ remembered reading the day Duke Williams died. That day many people decided to join Devil Eye. Instead of fighting against their acts of evil, they decided to support them. This world adhered to the rule 'Strong above Right'

"This world is too dark to change", he mumbled to himself. Closing his eyes, he shook his head in disappointment

When he looked back at the crime scene, he saw Sarah hugging the little girl. Approaching them, he picked up the devastated girl, and carried her through the crowd --- back to his mansion

"You can't change a rotten world", he mumbled to himself once again